Moving to dedicated mowing machine

Tdog · Jun 21, 2015

I've been toying with this for a while. I really like to mow with the BX 60" MMM. It does a great job. However, if it is going to be my primary mowing machine, that means that I've got to 'dress & undress' the BX every time I switch between mowing & tractoring. The FEL & BH need to come off for the machine to be an efficient mower. I know, you can cut with them on, but the ride is very bouncy. And, they get in the way - - I've got lots of obstacles to mow around. And, on the other hand, when I have FEL or BH or 3ph work to do, the mower deck can be a hindrance. Yes, I know it can come off too, but removing & reinstalling the MMM is a chore for me. I can get it off fairly easily, but I've never been able to reattach the mid PTO with one hand when reinstalling the deck. I have to raise the rear wheels & crawl underneath. Not a chore I enjoy.

So, last week I took the plunge & purchased a dedicated mowing machine - - a Kubota zero turn mower, z121s. It's a 48" deck, 21 hp Kohler engine. I've got a total of 3 hours on it so far. I will say that my 1st time out on it would have been pretty funny - - just driving a straight line was a real challenge. After driving for 60+ years with a steering wheel, moving to levers has been a challenge. I'm no expert yet, but I'm getting the hang of it. I cut down our driveway yesterday without taking out any of our azaleas. The ride is better than I expected. The agility in cutting around trees and other obstacles and the speed it moves makes me believe it will significantly reduce the time to cut my yard & pasture.

Jack

Scooby074 · Jun 21, 2015

^Yup.

I agree. The BX is never in the configuration I need, when I need it. Thats why I got the ZD which, frankly, is a 10x better mower as a pure mowing machine, better cut, and faster. Its also one of the reasons why I recommend that people look at the B or L's as opposed to the jack of all trade BXs. A B or L is a much better tractor, as a "tractor", while the BX tries to be everything to everyone, and many times comes up short.

Knowing what I know now, Id have a L tractor for tractor stuff and the ZD for the lawns.

zmansmac · Jun 21, 2015

Good for you Jack. I moved last August and bought a place that unfortunately had about 30 broken/dead birch trees that I needed to take care of. After owning my Kubota B7500 with FEL and 60 inch MMM for about 13 years I now had an excuse to buy a backhoe for stump removal. But this spring I came to the same conclusion as you. The FEL is easy to remove but the backhoe takes a bit of time. And the MMM seems to be harder to remove/attach ever since I retired. I bought a Ferris zero turn because it has a coil/shock suspension and my "lawn" is very bumpy. I was leery about controlling this thing with 2 levers instead of a steering wheel but after cutting the lawn twice it's like a switch got flipped and it's easy now. There is a new dent in one of the pole barn corners but I have to say it's one of the best things I've ever purchased. And, yes, my mowing time has been cut in half.

John

Jay4200 · Jun 22, 2015

Scooby074 said:
^Yup.

I agree. The BX is never in the configuration I need, when I need it. Thats why I got the ZD which, frankly, is a 10x better mower as a pure mowing machine, better cut, and faster. Its also one of the reasons why I recommend that people look at the B or L's as opposed to the jack of all trade BXs. A B or L is a much better tractor, as a "tractor", while the BX tries to be everything to everyone, and many times comes up short.

Knowing what I know now, Id have a L tractor for tractor stuff and the ZD for the lawns.

Agreed - I bought my BX specifically to mow, and I hate it. A real POS as far as being a tractor is concerned, among other things. Should've bought a dedicated mower.

AStanton · Jun 22, 2015

I too mow with a dedicated mower other than my Kubota. The deciding factors for me were the Kubota's weigh, expensive bagging system, and lack of maneuverability. My dedicated mower is also orange, so I feel like I have a mini-Kubota in some way. Plus the mini-Kubota has an automatic locking differential and handles like it's' in 4-way drive.
(Tdog, I hope your Kohler engine isn't labeled the "Courage" model. Some people have written in reviews that you need "courage" to buy one!)

sandyc · Jun 22, 2015

Ditto for me. When I traded off my b2200 for a 2920 tbl I went with a kubota lawn tractor. I now have a b3350 without a mmm and still use the little tractor.

ShowroomShine · Jun 22, 2015

I wish I could afford to have this epiphany as well. My CS2410 is just not a great mower, ok but not great. Hard to do stripes in the yard when you have to make a 4 point turn at the end of a cut. Always in the wrong configuration for what I need.

I should have gotten a B or CK, and a walk behind mower.

dodge man · Jun 22, 2015

The truth is the BX is great at being an all around little machine, but its not really great at doing any one thing. I find I put off putting on my FEL unless I have several jobs for it. I've gotten good at taking it off and on but still delay when possible. The mower deck stays on until winter unless I'm doing a lot of FEL work.

Gary Fowler · Jun 22, 2015

I have two tractors and two zero turn mowers. I never remove the backhoe from my B26, it is strictly a TLB. My LS is usually just used for soil tillage, bush hogging duties but occasionally gets to move some heavy loads with the FEL. The FEL has never been off as it is just too handy to have in place. I don't have any tight spots to worry about clearances so it isn't an issue to have it on even with the extra weight. My mowers are a Ferris IS700Z which is my dry land mower. I get out my Craftsman 6000 with the bar lug tires to mow around my ponds and any other slippery areas. The only issue with a ZTR is that if you get into a slippery area especially on a slope, you are not getting out as you will just slide deeper into it. This spring has been the worst for mowing because of all the rain, but with the bar lug tires, I have only been stuck about half a dozen times trying to mow my swamp area. My Kubota RTV 900 gets them out really easy though.

My only issue is that the Craftsman goes into the garage first so I have to move the Ferris out first in order to use it. One never has enough storage space or large enough buildings.

Tdog · Jun 22, 2015

Just a couple more observations - - the mower deck throws out a ton of debris. It really sends leaves & grass & whatever else flying. When I'm ready to stop, I have to use the leaf blower on me 1st, all over. Then the mower.

Also, running at full rpm, it's pretty dang loud! I've got an old pair of Worktunes that i've been wearing for hearing protection. The downside of the headphones is I can't wear them when I use a straw hat. But a ball cap works.

I don't have a handle on fuel consumption yet, but it's got to me fairly high.

I'm supposed to change the oil after 5 hours - - I'm currently at 4.4. We'll see how easy it is to service soon.

Oh, did I mention that it was fast?

4570Man · Jun 22, 2015

Changing stuff around sucks. That is why we have 8 mowers.

JOHNTHOMAS · Jun 23, 2015

Gary Fowler said:
I have two tractors and two zero turn mowers. I never remove the backhoe from my B26, it is strictly a TLB. My LS is usually just used for soil tillage, bush hogging duties but occasionally gets to move some heavy loads with the FEL. The FEL has never been off as it is just too handy to have in place. I don't have any tight spots to worry about clearances so it isn't an issue to have it on even with the extra weight. My mowers are a Ferris IS700Z which is my dry land mower. I get out my Craftsman 6000 with the bar lug tires to mow around my ponds and any other slippery areas. The only issue with a ZTR is that if you get into a slippery area especially on a slope, you are not getting out as you will just slide deeper into it. This spring has been the worst for mowing because of all the rain, but with the bar lug tires, I have only been stuck about half a dozen times trying to mow my swamp area. My Kubota RTV 900 gets them out really easy though.

My only issue is that the Craftsman goes into the garage first so I have to move the Ferris out first in order to use it. One never has enough storage space or large enough buildings.

4570Man said:
Changing stuff around sucks. That is why we have 8 mowers.

This is the answer which took me a few years to discover. 5 Kubotas, push mower, four or five weed eaters (Don't use any of them but the one with the saw blade on it) and spray weed killer.

Will_C · Jun 23, 2015

The BX is a wonderful "jack of all trades". I absolutely loved mine- I mowed 4 acres between 2 properties, plowed a 500' driveway, and did a multitude of landscaping work with it. It was all I could afford and all I had the capacity to tow.

8 years after buying it, I bought a ZTR, and boy, what a difference in mowing speed. The next year I bought a B tractor, and have greatly appreciated the ground clearance and FEL capacity. I am happy to have what I have-much more capable than my BX was, but truthfully, I don't get anymore done. It just is a luxury to do it easier.

Will

yoshi1 · Jun 24, 2015

I started with a zero turn Kubota ZG222 when I first moved to our property but really wanted the BX23 at that time. I just could not justify the cost. The zero turn mows great and is very quick but a one trick pony. Once I got it paid off, I got the BX25D. I've been able to do things with it I had been putting off for 5 plus years. It worked out the way it was suppose to just had to be patient. In hind sight, a BX model with a FEL might have been a good compromise.

SLIMSHADIE · Jun 25, 2015

Boys and there toyz

Downsized from a cape cod in the city to a ranch in the country with 3 acres, love it. Kids getting older and college soon. Anyways sold the push mower for a JD rider with a 48" deck, took 2 1/2 hours to mow. Winter came and the blade and tire chains didnt cut, winter laughed at me. Sold thr JD and bought the BX25D. With the 60" deck it only took 2 hours to mow, 1 of the worst winters came and the BX shined. 6' banks of snow up and down the lane. Racking up 100 hours a year between mowing, snow removal and dirt work. FEL is easy to remove, deck not bad but not wanting to install/remove everytime to mow and that backhoe i still dont have down, love that thing but a pain int the ... My dad bought a zero turn but didnt do what he thoght it should of. Ended up buying it 1/2 price with only 30 hours on it. With a 52" deck it still mowed only in 1 1/2 hours, cuts good but doesnt like the thick stuff. Those levers were pretty tricky at first, second summer and its natural. Installed a dog run in part of the back yard, my dad gave me 2 push mowers which helped with mowing that. Never thought i would be push mowing anything anymore, its small i dont mind it. Looks like i have done a full circle here, but the BX is now a backup mower, strictly snow removal, dirtwork and odd jobs. Wouldnt trade it for the world and still drive it every other day. Still trying to figure out the snow. Bucket and rear blade works good but still touching the snow several times. Bought the front blower last year, worked good. Practically ruined it with the gravel lane and drive. Careful but not careful enuogh. Gotta rebuild it before winter. Just picked up a very good condition front plow. I will start off with the front plow and rear blade this winter and if it gets bad, just throw on the front blower when needed...

NC419N · Jun 25, 2015

Having both ZD and BX mowing machines to mow with provides us with the best of both worlds. Any one with a zero turn that has experienced the down hill wet slide can understand the dangers that can arise with them but the speed at which they mow is superb. I guess my only question is why did you go with the Gas Engine and not Diesel ?? My day purchased a Gas model and I get that because he has no other Diesel machines. That's my only question

PhilVA · Jun 26, 2015

My main farm machine is my L3000DT. Anything that needs FEL work or typical 3pt hitch stuff goes to it. I used it for mowing all of our pastures (about 15 acres) and it was a pain to maneuver it close quarters. I had a JD big rider with 52"deck to cut grass for roughly 5 acres but was beating the machine up as this land is no golf course. Gave the JD to my daughter and her husband and bought a Kubota B2320 with 60" MMM. It has the FEL remotes but no FEL. It now does all of the grass cutting chores for the farm.

maximus1277 · Jun 26, 2015

Agree with all the comments. Bottom line for me is that bigger tractor is always better and zero turn mower can't be beat. That's why I went from a 2320 to Kioti ck, and got a scag with 72 inch deck to take care of my mowing needs. My mowing time has been reduced to 1/4 of chore it used to be. Originally I wanted a diesel zero turn, but weight and blade speed were deciding factors in choosing a liquid cooled Kawasaki scag.

archwoodholding · Jul 5, 2015

I have a 2+ acre yard that has numerous obstacles and slopes and steep ditches. I have been using a JD 445 garden tractor to do the mowing for the past 14 years (one large 400' long 25' tall ditch I pay to have mowed because it's just too steep and sharp at bottom ... they use a standup ride on and they fight to stay on the slope to get it done ... fast but dangerous) I'd love to find something that could mow quicker, be easy to control, and easy to change/sharpen blades. Of course the cut would have great or not worth the change. Do you have any suggestions as to what ZTR machines would work for me? Everyone I have posed this question to so far has said Ventrac or Steiner but my 6'4" tall 375lbs doesn't fit on them and many ZTR's require me to have a much smaller girth to operate them they way they were designed.

JOHNTHOMAS · Jul 5, 2015

archwoodholding said:
I have a 2+ acre yard that has numerous obstacles and slopes and steep ditches. I have been using a JD 445 garden tractor to do the mowing for the past 14 years (one large 400' long 25' tall ditch I pay to have mowed because it's just too steep and sharp at bottom ... they use a standup ride on and they fight to stay on the slope to get it done ... fast but dangerous) I'd love to find something that could mow quicker, be easy to control, and easy to change/sharpen blades. Of course the cut would have great or not worth the change. Do you have any suggestions as to what ZTR machines would work for me? Everyone I have posed this question to so far has said Ventrac or Steiner but my 6'4" tall 375lbs doesn't fit on them and many ZTR's require me to have a much smaller girth to operate them they way they were designed.

Kubota f3080 or new model number F3990. They are 4wd.